Characters:RavenLogs/AX Passing
Raven has made her way up to the Palace of Xanadu. Tucked into the shadow of the cliff, its pink tinged turrets look like some elaborate frosted cake - quite a bit less formal than Amber's castle. She approaches the front gate and is met by a page who takes her request to speak with Admiral Gerard and leaves her standing in the main entry - a large domed atrium containing several tall palms, a large fountain with leaping water spouts, and a couple of benches around the edges of the room.
As Raven is cooling her heels examining the odd carvings on a pillar that seem to depict monkeys throwing...something, a tall woman dressed in an unfashionably warm, long red jacket trimmed with white fur comes striding out of a side corridor, brushes past Raven, and then stops suddenly. She spins on a heel, her long red braid swinging around in an arc. "Cousin?" she asks with a quizzical tilt of her head.
Raven turns to regard the woman with a frankly confused expression. She seems to be a man in the garb of a captain of Amber's Navy, although most of her clothing is well-worn, with dark hair pulled back into a very brief, low tail. "Beg pardon, miss?" she says, politely.
The woman moves back towards Raven, walking slightly around to the side and breathes deeply. She gives a curt nod and states, "Cousin.". Then she smiles and offers a hand in greeting. "I am Brita, Your Kin. Most Likely Cousin as we do seem to be the Most Populated generation." The woman's green eyes sparkle a little. "I am Princess Fiona's Daughter."
The captain is clearly utterly baffled by this - perhaps especially by the being smelled part. To her credit, though, she is willing to shake hands. "Raven, milady," she says. "Captain of the ship the Vale of Garnath. Er... Begging your pardon, but - what are you on about? So far as I know, I ain't got any cousins, and I don't know how you decided that I did...?"
"Captain," Brita gives a little bow, "You may call me Brita or Ranger Brita, if you Prefer. Your Blood is Of the Line of Amber," Brita avers. "My Shadow Asgard Lineage Gives me that Knowledge. Why are you Waiting Here?" she indicates the atrium around them.
This doesn't answer the question to Raven's satisfaction - how does sniffing someone tell anyone anything but when they last bothered to clean up and with what? - but she isn't sure that asking again is going to get her an answer that makes any more sense. Which probably means that this is a Royal thing or this woman's a mage too or something of the sort. As for this Royal blood thing, well. It seems as likely as anything else on the lengthy list of possibilities she's compiled over the years - which is to say, it could be, but without sensible proof, she's not convinced. And not about to run around claiming it, either, not after that conversation with the Prince. Unless being sniffed counts as sensible proof, which it doesn't in her book but she supposes may in other people's. In which case, or rather, in either case, the conversation she needs to have with her mother about the boy is going to be _real_ interesting.
"I was told to report to the King when I arrived, ma'am," she answers after a moment of what was clearly thought. "And I was going to speak with Prince Gerard while I'm here, seeing as how we were part of his fleet before we got lost."
Brita nods and states, "I can Take You to Either Uncle. Who would you Prefer to Meet First?" as she turns to flag down a page to determine the whereabouts of both King and Prince.
Raven shakes her head quickly. "I already asked someone to speak with Prince Gerard, ma'am. And seeing as how I wasn't too far behind the Prince and Lady Folly, even with the stops I had to make, I don't see how the King would be free yet. It ain't a hardship to wait a few."
"But they have Left You Here," Brita notes with a disparaging glance around at the lack of proper seating and food. "I can Take you Straight to Prince Gerard. It is No Trouble." Brita notes such to the Page for him to alert his Associate when he returns. She then turns and heads off in the direction of Prince Gerard, expecting Captain Raven to follow.
Well, all right...
Raven mentally throws up her hands and follows in Brita's wake, bemused. It's not really worth trying to argue about it. This particular Royal seems nice enough, if cryptic, so she's not inclined to argue about principles... but she really is starting to wonder about these people.
The pages tell Brita that Gerard is in his quarters. Normally Raven wouldn't have access to the family area of the castle, but with Brita's say-so, Raven will be passed by the guards that separate the public and private areas of the castle.
Gerard has a handsome suite in one of the corners of the castle, with windows that open out onto a spectacular view of the bay and the nearby waterfall. When Raven and Brita are admitted to the Prince's presence, he is in his wheelchair by the window. Raven can see when she comes in that Gerard's legs are badly shattered and misshapen, and he seems shrunken compared to the man in her memories.
"Brita," Gerard says when the page announces her and a guest, "they said you were coming. Who hae you brought with you?"
"Uncle," Brita smiles widely. "This is Captain Raven, Part of Your Lost Fleet during the Sundering. He is Kin."
Raven salutes Gerard sharply and says, "Sir." She restrains herself to just that, although there might have been a brief, bemused glance askance at Brita before she schools her expression back into straightness.
And she most definitely does _not_ stare at Gerard's legs beyond the first look, because the man deserves the dignity of not being stared at like a freak - but this isn't entirely what she was expecting. It's something of a shock.
Gerard's expression brightens at the sight of Raven. "Captain! It's good that you've found yer way to Xanadu." He wheels over to offer her a friendly clasp, of the sort he might give any of his men. He clearly knows what he's doing with the chair, and has no trouble maneuvering it over the floor. "We lost so many ships when the storm hit, but they're starting to find their way home now."
He turns to Brita. "And what's this about him being a kinsman?"
"He is Blood of Amber," Brita notes with a shrug. "I Suppose we are Cousins, given his Age."
Raven cracks a smile and willingly returns the friendly clasp. "Aye, sir, it's good to be back in civilized ports. As for the other." She shrugs and tries not to sound as skeptical as she feels. "So Ranger Brita tells me."
Gerard's legs may have been smashed to flinders, but his arm is still that of the strongest man in--well, Raven imagines that must be Xanadu now.
"Aye, well, she's picked 'em out before." Gerard gives Brita an indulgently paternal smile before he turns his attention back to Raven. "The King will want to see you, sooner rather than later, to speak of this. I reckon ye've reported in at the harbor. Who brought yer ship in? And where ha ye been?" He gestures to both Raven and Brita to sit down.
"Aye, sir," Raven answers as she sits. "We been lost, that's the long and short of it. We got lucky and found Gateway, though it ain't as friendly as it once was, and found Sir Marius there." She tries not to let on that she's still irritated with him; it's not wholly successful. "He took us on to Amber, sir, and from there the Prince and Lady Folly brought us on to here."
Gerard nods, brightening as he hears about the Prince and Folly. "The detailed version of how you met Marius is one you'll be telling the King, so I'll spare you repeating it again. I'd ask what you mean to do next, whether you'll stay in the Navy or no, but those decisions are best put off until after you've spoken to Random.
"If it's not too touchy of a subject, lad, do you know who your father was?" Gerard watches carefully to be sure he's not treading on turf Raven doesn't want to answer about, in general, or in front of Brita. He's also checking to see that Brita's not embarrassed, although he seems to think that's less likely than Raven being embarrassed on her own or before Brita.
Raven is not at all embarrassed; she's actually quite matter-of-fact about the whole thing. "My mother and I, we don't exactly get along," that's clearly an understatement, "and we ain't ever managed a civil conversation about it. Whoever it is, he ain't the same as the father of the little brother I just found out I've got, but beyond that?" She shrugs. "I got a colorful list, but it's as useful as barnacles on a cat."
"Your List can Now be Culled to Only those Of Amber Blood," Brita notes as she turns from the window she had wandered to during the discussion. "Not Knowing is not Uncommon in Our Generation and Knowing can provide both Advantages and Disadvantages. Which Would you Prefer, Captain Raven?" she asks, cocking her head to one side in query.
"After all these years and all those discussions?" Raven answers drily. "It's sort of a matter of principle to try and find out, ma'am."
"Maybe you can Use the Knowledge that he is One of Royal Blood to prompt your Mother into Revelations," Brita notes.
"We could bring yer ma up to the castle and ask, but not," Gerard hastens to add, "if you don't want to. Speaking freely, king's younger boy's ma had quite a mouth on her, and I think the King and Queen have no mind for more of the same.
"Once you're settled, if you like, you can find a berth for your brother. I'm sure Caine would be pleased to bring him on as page, with an eye to a Naval berth when he's old enough, if he'd suit."
Brita can sense Gerard is curious about the boy with a different father, and Raven's mother, but is trying not to press too hard.
Raven snorts and shakes her head. "If their Majesties are looking to avoid women with mouths on them, it'd be best to keep her far away. I damn near had to sit on her to keep her out of trouble on the way here as it is - and I can't imagine this'll be a peaceful conversation." She smiles slightly and nods in Brita's direction. "Especially not with something in particular to be asking about.
"As for the boy, sir, I'd like a chance to get to know him first before I go finding a job for him. I mean, he was born while we was lost, and I ain't had more than a few minutes here and there to talk with him, what with everything going on and all."
Brita finds a chair and sits down in it. She has nothing to add to the conversation at the moment.
"If ye mean to get to know the lad, I reckon that will mean dealing with yer ma as well. Although once your blood is proven--" and here, Gerard looks at Brita for a moment, "--that may not be so much of an issue." Dismissing that topic, Gerard changes directions. "What question do ye have for me before Brita takes ye to the king? We can talk more later; I'm not going anywhere until my doctor gets back."
"I didn't have a question, exactly, sir," Raven answers, with a shrug.
"It just seemed right and proper to let you know we'd made it back."
"I'm glad ye did," Gerard says, with a smile that makes him look more like the man Raven remembers than he has so far in their conversation. "If ye have need of someone to talk to after you're done with the king, ask a page to bring you back here. I reckon you'll be wanting a dram or two."
He offers Raven a farewell clasp.
Brita rises and offers a smile and hug to Gerard in parting. She turns to Raven with "Let Us go Find the King." and then moves out to summon a page to ascertain where the King is at the moment - although she's fairly certain it will be someplace with a spectacular view of the falls...
Raven returns the handclasp with a quick bob of her head and a, "Thank you, sir." Then she follows Brita.
